Jack reached over and patted Aunt Ruby's hand, and then rose. "Yes, I'm going with you, Tess." He turned to Uncle Mike. "We'll meet up tomorrow? After you talk to Lorraine?"
Uncle Mike nodded but said nothing and didn't walk us out, which was practically unprecedented too. I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat but finally just said goodbye and walked out to my car, with Jack following me.
"Do you want me to drive?" His voice was quiet. "I know you're upset."
I shook my head. "I'm fine. Do you want to go back to town to get your truck, or should I just take you home?"
"Drop me at home. I'll get the truck tomorrow."
We drove in complete silence, and it wasn't until I was pulling up to the front of his house that he finally spoke. "They're just being loyal to Lorraine and her confidences, Tess."
I put the car in park and blew out a sigh. "I know. Don't you think I know? But I'm worried about this. All of it. All ofthem. Lorraine arrested for murder? Eleanor fainting? And you saw how Aunt Ruby was acting. They always told me Earl left, never to be heard from again. Lorraine got a divorce after seven years on abandonment grounds, and she never remarried. Now I learn that his body has been rotting away in the swamp forfifty years? I don't know what to think or how to feel about this. What happened all those years ago? And if they know more than they ever told," I stopped, studied the terrifying picture forming in my mind, and bit my lip. "If they know what happened, does that mean they were involved?"
I turned my head and stared at Jack. "Who killed Earl?"
He was silent for a few moments, and then returned my gaze. "I don't know, but I know that when that skeleton turned up, Beau got nervous. He hired me."
I blinked. "Are you breaking a client's confidence?"
"No. Beau said he knew that you and I are a team. 'Like Batman and Angela Lansbury,' he said, whatever the hell that means."
"I get to be Batman," I said immediately. "You should always be yourself in life, unless you can be Batman. Then be Batman."
He blinked those gorgeous green eyes. "What?"
"Never mind. Why did Beau hire you?"
"Because Beau knew the skeleton might be Earl."
3
Saturday morning was sunny and beautiful. Another perfect Florida fall day.
The exact opposite of my mood.
The realization that Beau knew about Earl—and the next leap, that he may have killed Earl, or how else would he have known?—and that my aunt and uncle also seemed to know something that upset them enough that they wouldn't even share it, not to mention whatever had caused Eleanor to faint… well, all of it had been enough to keep me tossing and turning all night. Around four in the morning, I'd even wished that I'd taken Jack up on his offer to come inside and discuss it all, but I'd been exhausted and our romantic relationship was new enough to make me oddly nervous, even though our friendship was rock solid.
Anyway, all of that had combined into a toxic soup of worry and stress that had kept me up all night and made me feel shaky and a little sick this morning. I'd foregone coffee after the scent of it brewing had made my stomach turn over. I wasn't even hungry. Facing the crowds of tourists that usually hit the shop on a festival weekend would not be fun.
And the fact that I was worrying about my minor problems when Lorraine had spent the night alone in jail made me feel like a horrible person.
I pulled into the shop parking lot and sighed at the sight of the dozen cars that were already there and the line of people waiting on my porch. What could be important enough to make people want to visit a pawnshop before nine in the morning was beyond even me, and I was the owner.
I parked, careful to avoid getting anywhere near any of the cars, since I had a slight problem with spatial awareness when it came to parking. Or, at least, that was my story, and I was sticking to it.
Then I sighed once, put my customer-service smile on my face, and prepared to do battle, er, welcome friendly shoppers.
After I unlocked the door and waved everyone in, I took up my post behind the counter and locked my purse in the drawer, wondering if Eleanor planned to come in. She worked part time for me here at Dead End Pawn and I’d scheduled her to work today and tomorrow since we were always busy on festival days.
Maybe she wasn't feeling well from last night? I glanced at my phone but hadn't missed a call or text, and there was no time to call her now. The shop was crowded.
A girl who looked eighteen or nineteen wandered over to the counter and smiled at me. "This is anadorableshop. You must enjoy working here."
"I do. Every day is different, and I love that." I returned her smile. It was an unusual comment. Mostly people her age said something rude or condescending about pawnshops, but her tone hadn't even been snarky.
She pointed to a silver ring in the velvet-lined tray inside the glass case. "I'd like to look at this one, please."
"Sure." I leaned over to unlock the case and pull out the jewelry tray, letting her pick up the ring herself. I had to be very careful not to touch people, of course, even casually. "It's a little large, but you could have it resized."
